Seat



` March 5, 1 946.` v E. SCHMIDT 2,396,022

` SEAT Filed May 22, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmh 5,1946.

E'. scHMyD-r SEAT Filed May 2.2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 5, 1946 EdwardjSchmdt, Chicago, Ill.,

assignerY to y S.

Karpen & Bros., Chicago,--Ill.,V a oorporatonof Illinois- Application Mayzz, 1942, serial Claims.

This invention relatesto a seat. It is particularly useful as a drivers seat for use on buses', planes, and other vehicles. It will lbe obvious that it is adapted to many other uses.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple andfsturdy structure, permittingl adjustment of the seat upward at kspaced elevations while automatically permittin-g a returnv of the seat to its lowermost position. A further objectis to provide mechanism in which automatic locking means is employed', tfgether with means for ren- Vde'ringjthe locking means inoperative andfor restoring it, when the seat isin a dierent position, to operative condition. A'furtherobject is-to provide a structure whereby a ready disassembly of the parts may be accomplished,v with thenormally interferingportions locked' in inoperative position. "Other specic objects'and advantages will appear as the specication proceeds..`

The invention is illustrated in a preferredlemf bodiment,u by the accompanying drawings, in

which- Y Y Figure l'is a plan sectional-view of4 apparatus embodying my invention, vthe section beingtaken asindicatedatline l'of'Eig. 2'; Fig, 2, a vertical sectirmal View, the section being `taken as indicated'at line 2V of Fig. 1'; Fig. 3, a detail vertical Sectional view showing thev apparatus withthe seat tube in partially-raised position;- F'ig. 4, a similar view butv showinglthe locking means rendered inoperative for the removal of the seat tube or cylinder; and Fig. 5, aviewsimilar to Fig. 4 but showing .the locking means being restored to op'erif ative condition.

In the illustration given, A designates a base; B, a seatwith .supportingtubes or. cylinders; and LC, locking mechanism Vwhich may be employed.

Thestructure A may be` of. any suitable. type or shape. In the illustration gven,.the casing IIlis ofsomewhat oval shapewith the top wall II thereof`providd withv two circular openings I2 andrI3. Another horizontal plate I4 extendsbetween the vertical wall portions llandis secured thereto by welding or other suitable means.

ings I'2and` I3.` Welded' to thellowermost part of the'vc'ircular-member l0 'is a. base member I5 nav'- ing lan upwardly-extending sleeve IS'en-g'aging the inner side of wall" I0 and having a'4 horizontal flange portion I1; The flangev I1 isprovidedwith No. 444,029y

The seat B may be `of any suitable structure.

' In viewl of the great variety of seats which may be e Plate I4 ispprovided with openings aligned .with operi-A the lifting of the seat so and upon which the member employed, it will be unnecessary herein to describe more than ar general or illustrative structure. Thel seat properis supported by a plate member 2 I, to which iswelded or otherwise secured a large tube member 22' and a smaller tube member 23. The member 22 extends through and is guided by the larger openings in plates II and I4, while the smaller `tube 23 extends through opening I3 of vplate II and the corresponding opening in horizontal plate I4. The tube Aor supportn-gcylinder 2'2 may be round, square, or any other suitable shape. In the illustrationgiven, it is provided with spacedopenings 24, by means of which the seatmay be supported at different elevations, as willbe later described. The lower portion of the tube 2 2 is', provided with an inwardly-extending actuatingmember 25.

The small tube 23 is providedwith a slot 26 which receivesv a stud 21 extending through the wall I0 and through a threaded nut 28. The bolt 21 `,may be withdrawn to disengage the slot 26.

rThe locking vstructure C is designed to permit thatthe seat may be supported at different elevations while at the same time permitting vthe seat to be lowered .to Ythe lowermo'st'position without interruption by the locking means. l Any suitable structure may be employed. In the illustration given, I Aprovide a bracket 29 carried bythe baseplate 20, and pivotally'support'ed thereon is a locking lever or pawl 30. 'I'helever 3ll'v is provided at its upper endwith a cam surface 3|.and with a projecting locking The' lower portion of the member'30 is provided with a release. cam or surface 33 which is adapted to engage the member `25. At the upper rear portion of the member 30 is a cam surface 34, alarge locking notch 35, and .asmaller locking notch` 36. Cooperating Ywith the notches and with the surface 34 is a catch member 31 supported by a springv arm. The arm 38 is secured by rivets toa standard 39 fixed to the base plate 20. The pivot, carried by the brackets 29 3D swings, is indicatedk .by the numeral 40;

Operation In the' operation of the apparatus, the seat may be raised from the lower position, illustrated in Fig. 2', by simply pulling the seat'upwardly. As theseatmoves-upwardly, the topmost open:- ing 24 becomes aligned withy the pawl tooth 32, and the tooth is urged into the opening by spring 33; If the' driver desires the seat to'be placed at a higher elevation, it is simplypulled upwardly,

the lower cam surface of the tooth permitting it to ride out of the opening 24, and in this manner the intermediate opening 24 is brought into alignment with the tooth 32. At this point, the spring 25 urges the tooth into the opening, and (the seat is thus supported at the higher elevation. Should the driver desire a still higher elevation, the seat is merely drawn higher until the lowermost opening 24 is aligned with the tooth 32 and, under the urging of spring 38, the tooth 32 engages the lowermost opening. Should the driver now desire to lower the seat, the operation may be accomplished by merely raising the seat higher until the member 25 forces the pawl rearwardly and causes the catch 31 to slide upwardly along the surface 34 into the notch 35. In this position, the spring arm 38 and catch 3'! lock the pawl 3i) in an inoperative position, and the tube support 22 may then be lowered readily without engaging the locking members. At the lowermost point of its travel, the member 25 is brought into engagement with the lower cam which causes the upper portion of the pawl 3,6 to swing forwardly and to disengage the latch 3l from the notch 35, thus restoring the parts to the initial position illustrated in Fig. 2. The structure is now ready for a step-by-step elevation to the desired level.

Should it be desired to remove the tube supf ports 22 and 23 for repair, or to provide access to the working parts within, it is merely necessary to unscrew the bolt 21 to free it from the slot 25 of the guide tube 23 and then to elevate the seat. illustrated in Fig. 4. the actuating lug 25 presses the pawl 39 rearwardly to cause the catch 31 to engage the small forward notch 36. In this position. the member 25 will clear the locking member. and the tube 22, after removal. may be readilv lowered into the passage within the Ycasing without engaging any obstructions. When the tube 22 is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 2, the lug 25, engaging cam 33, releases the catch 3? from the notch 36 and restores the member 3? to its original starting position.

In all of the foregoing operations, it will be noted that the operation is entirely automatic. All of the diiTerent positions described are vaccomplished by merely raising and lowering the seat plate 2i. The structure and may be operated reliably over long periods of time without attention. Should repair or servicing of the parts be required, quick accessibility is obtained `by simply lifting the seat after bolt 2l has been withdrawn. If bolt 21 is not withdrawn, the engagement thereby with the slot 26 provides'a limit to the vertical movement of is rugged, simple,

the tube parts.

While in the structure described, the tube 22 is provided with three openings, it will be understood that any desired numberk of openings may be employed, and the locking structure may be modified to a wide extent. If desired, the members 22 and 30 may be provided with any suitable As the tube 22 raises to the position cooperating means for providing spaced locking positions by which the seat may be maintained at selected levels.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specific structure, it will be understood that wide variations may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim: 1. In a seat structure, a base providing at least a vertical passage therein, a seat. a tube supporting said seat and slidably received in said passage, a pivotally-mounted locking member carried by said base, said tube being provided with vertically spaced openings adapted to be engaged by said locking member. spring means urging said locking member toward said openings. said locking member having notches, latch means adapted to engage spaced notches on said locking member, and cooperating'means carried by said locking member and said tube for causing said latch member to engage selected notches for rendering said locking member inoperative and for freeing said latching member from said notches to render said locking member operative.

2. In a seat structure, a base providing at least a vertical passage therein, a seat, a tube supporting said seat and slidably received in said passage, a pivotally-mounted locking member carried by said base, said tube being provided with vertically spaced openings adapted to be engaged by said locking member, said locking member having notches, spring means urging said locking member toward said openings, latch means adapted to engage spaced notches on said locking member, and cooperating means carried by said locking member and said tube for causing said latch member to engage selected notches for rendering said locking member inoperative and for freeing said latching member from said notches to render said locking member operative, said means including an inwardly-extending lug carried by the lower portion of said tube and cam surfaces at the upper and lower ends of said locking member.

3. vIn a seat structure, a base providing a vertical passage therein, a seat, at least one tube supporting said seat and slidably received in said passage,v a pivotally-mounted locking member carried by said base andl provided with a forwardly-extending tooth, said tube being provided with a. vertical series of openings adapted to be engaged by said tooth, said locking member being provided also with a cam below said tooth and at its lower side with a release cam, an actuating lug Ycarried bythe lower portion ofV said tube for engaging said cam surfaces, said locking member being provided also at its upper rear side with a notch and adjacent thereto with an.. inclined surface, and a spring arm supported by said base and provided vat its forward end with a catch adapted to engage said inclined surface to urge said tooth toward one of said openings and, when pressed into engagement with said notch, to hold said locking member out of engagement with said notch.

4. In a seat structure, a base providing a pair of vertical passages therein, a seat, a pair of tubes supporting said seat and slidably received in said passages, a pivotally-mounted locking member supported by said base within one of said tubes, Vsaid last-mentioned tube having a vertical series of openings therein adapted to be engaged by said locking member, said locking member being provided at its rear side with looking notches and at its forward side with a pair of spaced cams, a spring arm supported by said base and provided with a catch adapted to engage said notches, and an actuating lug carried by the lower portion of said last-mentioned tube for engaging said cams to eiect the engagement of said catch with said notches and to effect the release thereof.

5. In a seat structure, a base providing a pair porting said seat and slidably received in said and on the other side with a pair of spaced cams,

passages, one of said tubes being relatively small and the other being relatively large, said small tube being provided with a vertical slot, an adjustable bolt member carried by said base for releasably engaging said slot to limit the vertical movement of said tube, a locking member sup- 'ported by said base within said large tube, said large tube being provided with a vertical series of openings and said locking member being provided on one side with a pair of locking notches 1 a. spring arm supported by said base and provided with a catch adapted to engage said notches, and an actuating lug carried by the inner side of said tube and adapted to engage one of said cams to cause said catch' to engage a selected notch and to engage the other of said cams for effecting release of said latch from said notch.

EDWARD SCHMIDT. 

